Стр. 30 - V

Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Vyacheslav Svetlichny, head of the RF Ministry of
Foreign Affairs mission to the Republic of Crimea (Russia):
I would like to thank International Affairs for the at-
tention that has been given to the developments on
our peninsula.
A year has passed, an entire year full of events in the
world, in Russia and here in Crimea. We have wit-
nessed the strong evolution of the Republic of
Crimea as a full, legitimate member of the Russian
Federation with all the trappings, including a system of international and foreign trade ties.
Valery Kovalenko, Director General, the Russiya reha-
bilitation and fitness center (Russia): Historically, Crimea
has been closely involved in integration processes
practically since the very start of its existence. This
is where the main historical, geographical and geopo-
litical crossroads for the great migration of peoples
are located.
The 2014 referendum in the Crimea identified a new
vector in its life and provided a vivid example of
peaceful democratic integration in the post-Soviet space. We the residents of Crimea made our
choice consciously, correcting a terrible injustice, making the long cherished dream of several
generations of Crimeans come true, and finally completing this long journey back to the moth-
erland. Crimea and little provincial Yalta are emerging as a center for addressing key geopolitical
issues in today's world.
Mikhail Yevdokimov : When we discuss the
specifics of modern integration processes in the CIS
space, I become aware of a kind of internal resist-
ance because I believe that they are largely identical
to the processes that are unfolding primarily in Eu-
rope and Asia.
It is important to remember that all regions, all coun-
tries are faced with the same kind of threats - ex-
tremism, terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal
migration. We have all integrated into the global economic system, and the situation in one region
or even in one country, unfortunately, affects the economic situation in other regions, in other
countries. Integration processes in the CIS have intensified in recent years.
Integration is a process that will continue, and our presidents have very serious plans for the fu-
ture. This is about economic integration because, in contrast to other forms of integration within
the Union, it is the only form of association where a certain part of national authority is delegated
to a supranational body. As in the European Union, this is quite a sensitive issue. We, including